Love on the Tracks of Hell
by timelucked
Summary: Taking a look at Johnny 13 and his kitten. Stories that backtrack to their life in the Ghost Zone, and events based on episode 13. "Love on the tracks of hell, was better than no love at all."


**A/N: Based off Season 1, Episode 13.**

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><p>"Hey, babe," a husky voice rang clear over the roar of a bike, the engine humming an exciting chorus. "Name's Johnny," he nodded at the girl with the spikes. "And you?"<p>

"Kat," She replied coyly, strutting over and petting the engine. It thrummed hot and sizzling with ectoplasmic radiation. "Nice to meet cha, _Johnny_."

He smiled, eyes glistening beneath greasy blond hair, falling in a dirty curtain around his grimy face. And she loved it. "Nah, nah, the pleasure's all mine…_kitten_."

She frowned. "The only way you're callin' me that, is if we get to know each other better." Her frown disappeared and in its stead was replaced by a flirtatious smirk. And he enjoyed the look she graced him with, that sultry half-lidded stare made him wild.

"Well then," he tossed his head back, tipping it up and grinning lopsidedly. "Hop on."

She nodded and threw one leg over as all around her, the circle of paranormal hooligans gasped in awe.

"Johnny's never let no one on 'is bike – no one!" one to the far right with mismatched clothes that hung limp from their lanky frame whispered to the ghost on his right, a female with as many spikes and piercings on her face as a dragon has on its back.

"Yeah, doesn't help the last person fell off the face of Screamer's Mountain when they rode wit' him."

"Yeah, yeah – heh heh – they don't call 'im _Thirteen_ for nothin' – heh heh, no what I'm sayin'?"

Kat looked in shock at the man she had just unwittingly wrapped her arms around. He revved the bike to mask his words, let out behind a predator's smirk.

"Shadow," he said so low, Kat could just barely make out the words. "Choke."

The one who had commented after lean-and-mean suddenly went purple in his glowing green face, clutching feeble hands at his throat, he was hefted off the ground by a dark and shimmering ghost, growling and cackling maniacally as it throttled the essence out of the being. Its eyes bugged, its voice cried out hoarsely, kicking its legs futilely. Everyone scattered, screaming and shouting, but no one came to their friends rescue.

"Can't be helped," Johnny shrugged, his jacket bouncing atop his shoulders. "Shadow – retract!"

And the attacked ghost dropped to all fours, panting and dry heaving as the shadow swirled beneath the motorcycle, chuckling in sheer delight.

"Atta boy." Thirteen smiled at his friend, who grinned ferally back.

"I-I-I'm getting' outta here, man!" shrieked the ghostie that was felled, scampering to his feet and surging off down the graveled plasmic road.

Johnny nodded arrogantly, tipping his head back once, hair thrown in a wave that cascaded back to its original bob shortly thereafter. His expression jolted to a blank state, and he curved himself backward to stare at the chick that still held him, limp in the circle of her arms.

"You…" he coughed the insecurity out of his voice, eyes going hard and indifferent. "You still wanna ride with me, babe?"

The edginess of his voice, she knew, was from fear of rejection, the hardness of his eyes drawing her in. Her grip tightened and his body relaxed, a gentle smile creeping up his features and lighting his already glowing face.

"Always." She replied simply, coal-shadowed eyes glistening in exhilarated anticipation.

He nodded, turning back around and let loose his engine – and the grin of belonging.

...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…

"L-look, I know this isn't much or nothin' - but this is one o' my favorite spots, see? – and I just thought, you know, I'd show you, or somethin'," the man scratched the back of his head awkwardly, rubbing dirt from his nails against the lapel of his grungy duster. He looked off to the side with a pout. "So…sorry if ya don't like it an' all."

"Don't like it, don't _like_ it?" Kitty – as she had told him to call her, saying that he was a _friend_ now – repeated. "Johnny," she swooned, whirling around on her heel, arms extended wide to the side and basking in the place he had brought her. "I _love_ it!"

Thirteen beamed, eyes alight with a happy twinge. "Ya mean that?" he asked in breathless delight.

She nodded enthusiastically, sprinting back over to where he slumped on his bike. She gave a little hop before him, bouncing into his waiting arms and snuggling into him. They sighed in unison, gazing out at the purplish surrounding of the place. It was a quiet, cozy little spot he had fashioned for himself. A little alcove just off the cliff face of Screamer's Mountain. The ground was as deep a violet as the sky around the _Zone_, the cave a darker sapphire. The two sat beneath a scraggly tree, its limbs seeming to almost reach out and try to pluck anything in its wake straight into the air. He heard his girl say something and stared down at her, nestled beneath his chin, hair tickling his scruffy goatee.

"I'll mean it just as long as you don't throw me off."

He frowned at that comment.

"What's that supposed ta mean?"

She shrugged him off, strutting away and over to the chipped edge. She bent at the waist and inspected the area, judging the fall, no doubt.

"Rumors I been hearin' lately, 's all. People say you threw Benji Bloodbeard off o' here 'cause he owed you some money."

Thirteen's face faltered, dropping to disbelief. He straightened up, arms folded over his chest, chuckling and shaking his head. "Even if I did that, does it matter? We're ghost's, babe – 's not like it've hurt 'im." He patted his knee and looked over by the tree. Shadow slumped in imitation of himself against the ghoulish bark, knuckles brushing his formless chin.

Kitty looked back at him skeptically then sighed, turning her head down. "It's the principal, Johnny. So don't do that to me, got it."

He puckered his lips and rolled his emerald eyes. "Yeah yeah, I won't – alright? 'sides, you'll probably do it to yourself if you don't step off that ledge."

She laughed but her breath hitched in her throat. He heard the telltale crumbling and jolted into action. She screamed as beneath her, the ground gave way, falling apart beneath her primped feet. Kitty felt herself falling, and suddenly her shoulder felt about ready to pop, nearly tearing from its socket. She heard grunts and groans and was heaved upward. Her face registered surprise and, as if in slow-motion, the world was swimming. She was jerked to a stop at a solid plot of the land, a hand crushing hers in a vice-like hold. She tripped on her own footing, and fell onto a buffed chest, hand gently guiding her to a stand on a pectoral. Staring up the line of the body, she saw jade eyes glare down at her with a mix of concern and worried anger.

"See what I mean?" was all he said, grip loosening on her throbbing appendage.

His eyes popped wide as he saw her suddenly sheepish face and took stock of their position. It was much more romantic and suave than he had intended, and he abruptly felt out of his element and awkward. He coughed and gave a shy laugh, almost letting her go. Almost.

"J-Johnny?" she asked, peeking up at him timidly.

With the utmost smoothness, he said what all girls hoped to hear in this predicament. "Uh…hi?" his grin was more of an inexperienced snarl, a cringe more or less.

He heard a deep growling snicker and suddenly he felt an impossible force shove him and suddenly, his lips were smacked against Kitty's. His eyes snapped wide once again, one arm flailing out. Shadow swirled in a conspiratorial spiral in the air behind Kitty and Johnny noted the certain triumphant quality to his friend's evil grin. Kitty protested against his lips, but they died as soon as he regained control of himself, dismissing his dark friend and paying more attention to the girl before him. She moaned against his lips and he brought both arms to hold her, one of his hands digging into her bicep for a firmer grip on this newfound reality, and the other one going to her lower back, pressing her closer to him. Shadow nodded his wavering head and flew away, leaving the new happy couple to their duties and preoccupying tasks.

...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…

"Johnny!"

He perked up, pasty skin shining as a wide grin slapped him straight across the face. "Kitten!" his face faltered as a girl with flowing tawny hair came bounding over. It wasn't his Kitten – not yet, at least. He hacked into his fist, turning politely away as she came to a stop just before his bike. Composing himself, he greeted her with a warm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "H-hey, doll. Lift?"

She smirked playfully, bending at the waist then back to a straight position. Coyly, she ducked her head. "You missed a few words, but sure, I'd love a ride."

His smile was almost nearly a snarl. "Alright then, hop on, kitten." Johnny almost choked on the words. It felt wrong to call this girl 'kitten' but soon enough, she would be his kitty-kat. He dipped his head toward the seat and she jumped on, strapping on the helmet he provided and upon contact with him, a simple brush of fingers, a blush tainted her tanned cheeks as much as the dusting of her freckles. He had to admit, if he was going to look at any face for an eternity, he was glad it was one as pretty as hers. Still though, a terrible pang shot through his chest as he saw another face overlapping hers.

"So, are you taking me to my house or," her voice quieted, the subtle hint of hopefulness a keen ingredient to her words. "Someplace else."

He smiled roguishly. "Someplace else if that's fine by you."

She merely nodded, eyes wide and open, like a portal to another world. He stared at her, in this vulnerable state of hers, and felt a little tiny something melt within him. His gaping hole of a mouth closed as Shadow whispered a warning within the confines of his sealed and deceptive mind. His eyes flashed to where Shadow cried out to in his ghostly wail, dark, flickering hand pointed diagonal. His eyes followed the trail of Shadow's creep and saw that standing in the dark of a tree's canopy was a young kid, glowering at him with arms crossed across his defiant and puny chest. Johnny's smirk widened.

"Hey Jazz, you're not wearing the scarf I got ya." He informed her crudely, eyes still boring into the boy's icy blues.

"What? Oh!" he heard her exclaim. Then his ears picked up the faint rustle of fabric. "Here. So," he drifted his focus back to her, mouth dropping as she wore his kitten's apparel. "How does it look?"

"It, it looks…" he smiled at her, genuine and sweet. "It looks great, kitten." The last word echoed in his mind, staring forlornly at the ring he wore on his hand.

No one had known, no one had known it was an engagement ring. He clapped a hand to his breastpocket and felt the weight of the matching accessory there, only a slight comfort. Arrogantly, he shot a look straight to the teen beneath the tree and revved his bike up. Time to go. And the two zoomed off down the highway, kicking up dust as they went.

...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…

"Oh, Johnny, who knew you could be _so_ romantic," Kat swooned, leaning into his side as his shoulder enveloped her smaller frame.

"Yeah well, there's a lot you don't know about me, kitten," he bent closer, head inclined and words a breath on her face. A fairly stinky breath, but there was a pulsing in her body that made her ignore it. "But there's one place you can start."

He pressed his lips against hers, a building pressure that left her breathless and fighting back with her own intensity. She picked up the pace of the kiss, excited to be in his arms and settling herself to press every line of her fluid body against his. He cupped her face, laughing wheezily under her lips. A happy light played in his eye as she pulled herself up, choppy hair spilling around them. Johnny kneaded the fingers into the bare section of her lower back, sliding his fingers up the half-shirt. His throat and chest rumbled with pleasure as she purred atop him, but her fingers reached around and gently pried his grabby hands away.

"Maybe on the second date, Johnny." She giggled, flipping around to sit in the semi-circle his legs provided around her.

He lifted himself up by his palms and rested his weight heavily against them, elbows locked almost uncomfortably. He smiled at the back of her head as the two stared off into the sunset.

"Hey Kitten, how would you like," he fished out a gold-embossed jade ring. "To be my girl?"

"Oh, Johnny!"

She threw her arms around his neck, but it wasn't Kitty's voice. It wasn't her body that was pressed against his. It hadn't even happened like that. It was just the ghost of someone else's lips, the intangible memory that solidified into something so seemingly real, that he had felt against his. Johnny felt hollow on the inside, a deep pit of dismay filling him like an ocean.

"To go steady? That's so _old_ school." She laughed and he gave his best attempt at a smile to her, it was watery but at least it was there.

"So whaddaya say?" he nudged his head at the ring in his hand.

Her next words were cut off as a giant something thudded into the ground a few feet before the two. The package oomphed and cringed, raising up on hind legs shakily.

"_Danny_?" Jazz called out in horrified shock.

"Where you spying on us?" the two shouted in unison, throwing their hands up as slanted as their angered brows.

The kid placed his cheek on his raised palm languidly, a toying smirk on his lips. "Haha, whoops." He spoke ingenuinely.

...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…

"Johnny, hurry up, would ya?" Johnny looked down as his ring flared and the image of his kitten came on the monitor. She looked around her hastily, shakily. "I hate it in here."

"I got ya babe, don' worry. Listen," he brought his face closer to the gem, staring directly at her visibly frightened eyes. "The job's almost done. It's just tha girl's stupid baby brother, he keeps gettin' in the way. But no worries, Jazz and I are getting closer each day."

She pouted on screen, twisting her head away. "For your sake, it better not be _too_ close, Johnny. Don't you go…don't you go falling in love with that human on me."

He smiled with a tilt of his greasy head. "Come on, babycakes, you know you're the only girl for me."

She glanced back by shifting her head a fraction of an inch. "Promise?"

His smile turned to an ear-to-ear grin. "Promise."

She returned his smile and fazed out, her recently limited power fading. Sighing, Johnny kicked his bike into full gear and speeded off down the road. He skidded to a stop just before the one house down that one lane that stuck out amongst the rest.

There_ she is_, he thought with a sinister edge as appearing in the window way was a slender form and ocher, cascading hair that illuminated Jazz Fenton to him. _Come on, doll, look down._

"Johnny, hi!" she cried out, excitement ringing clear in her voice, fingers wiggling at him in greeting. She glanced around warily, then called back down more quietly. "What are you doing here?"

He answered with a devilishly charming smirk. He heard Shadow snigger and ignored his fiendish counterpart. "Hey, Kitten. This a bad time?"

Jazz beamed and disagreed, asking if he wanted to listen to some CD's or 'something' He answered with an affirmative but truly opted for the 'or something' and she briskly raced down to allow him entry. The two crept low and made their way, past her sleeping parents – the fools – and down into the basement, upon his suggestion. It was perfect, she led him right to that gate. And soon, she'd be the key to reuniting him and his sweet babydoll.

They stood in silence for a moment, blankly staring at one another. Johnny reached into his pocket and felt around for the ring, grinning toothily as soon as he wrapped his grimy fingers around the cool feel of the jewelry.

"So whaddaya say, kiddo – you wanna be my girl?"

The two stared down at the ring, Johnny with mild calculation and Jazz with growing enthusiasm. She lifted her finger and hope swelled in Thirteen's chest. Until the meddling runt decided to pipe up.

"She's _not_ anybody's '_girl_'." He glared from the corner of the room, creeping out from the shadow of the opening.

"Stop _spying_ on us!" they cried out in harmony.

Johnny's fists clenched at his side, a fire burning in his eyes. This chump, always ruining everything. Well, not anymore – oh, he'd be sure of that.

"No!" Jazz's brother whined. "No I won't! Any more than you would if it were me. Come on, Jazz," he strutted over to his sister, hands at her upper arms. The jacket slipped off unnoticeably. "Think like the brain surgeon you keep telling us you're gonna be. Does this _seem_ right?"

Johnny scowled at the kid, but his attention was quickly diverted to the identical ring he held in his slackening palm.

"Come on, Johnny, what's taking so long? Johnny, get me out of here," Kitty nagged from the thing.

Growling, he tossed the ring up and snapped it back into the curl of his hand, menacingly stalking over to the brat. He yanked the kid by the collar and held his lean body up close to his face.

"You know what, _punk_? We've had just about enough of you." And with that, Johnny hoisted his fist back, eyes aimed at the scrunched nose of the adolescent but was stopped by Jazz. Johnny glanced up and noticed Kitty's jacket had slipped off from her angular shoulders. Johnny tch'd and threw the kid behind his back, dismissing the annoyance with a jeering, "Whatever."

Danny smacked into the metal cabinet with a crash and a clang, a sound of astonished pain escaping his throat. The both of these Fenton's were proving too difficult for Johnny to maintain control of his sitch-e-ation and he chose to handle it the harder way. The harder for the two teens, that is. Thirteen ordered his dark other-self to focus his horrid luck on the shelf. Shadow only too happily let loose his power and the shelf came careening atop the boy. Aghast and stricken by what happened to her sibling; Jazz flung her hand out and screamed her brother's name. Seizing the opportunity for what it was, Johnny leered and snatched her hand from midair, slipping the ring onto her finger seamlessly. She cried out in irritation, but a shimmering mist of green enveloped that hand. The dark entity slunk behind her, clothing her in the red vinyl that wasn't hers with growling laughter. The ectoplasma outlined her entire body and the room flashed red and green, Jazz dazedly slumped her shoulders against the mild possession that had overtaken her being. Eyes half-lidded, she was led to the doorway of the Fenton Ghost Portal.

A zapping blue light of energy shot through her as the gateway opened, Johnny falling back and away from the transformation. He waited with bated breath, fists held up high on his sides as he witnessed his kitten coming over from the _Zone_, replacing Jazz who had originally stood solidly in her place. Then suddenly, he was sent flying, sliding backwards into twin boxes of crap – the mechanical kind. Kitten screamed, and he switched his focus to her as he jumped up. Only, it wasn't her any longer – it was Jazz with that ghost kid floating right before her. Jazz was screaming and shaking her fists angrily at the ceiling and Kitty was back in the in-between, calling out his name.

"I don't exactly know what's going on here, but I know you can't do it without _this_," the phantom rubbed the ring in his possession knowingly. He zoomed up through the ceiling, going intangible and invisible. "See ya, _freakshow_."

Roaring, Johnny commanded his black friend. "Shadow – fetch the ring!"

Screeching, the blob of darkness did as was told, spiraling out of the house and after that troublesome boy. Now Johnny was left to focus out more of his plot. Kitty nagged in the background, her voice a familiar whine. But he became distracted as overhead, Poppa Fenton started yelling. Thirteen swiftly dealt with the matter, nearly getting clobbered by an enormous fist, and was free to float lazily back to his love. Jazz wobbled torpidly near the wall, but Johnny only had eyes for his kitten. He gazed goofily at her and she stared back much the same, smiling sweetly. Her arm traced a wonderful arc through the air and her palm pressed against the fabric of the in-between and mortal world. Registering her movements, he did the same, duster sleeve falling back the line of his arm. Their fingertips touched for the briefest of moments, but it was like electricity shot through them both. Feeling her, as if she were really there, sent painful urges through him. He wanted to hold her, to lift her in his arms again. To kiss her as she folded and melted into him with another dimension's sun on his back, warming through to his ghostly skin. Even from another world, her skin still radiated with beauty and light. Nothing could compare to his kitten, and as he was about to tell her so, eyes misted with swooning compassion, something malfunctioned.

The kid had tricked Shadow into passing through the contraption that operated the Ghost Gate, causing the computerized thing to break and implode. Gasping, he gnashed his teeth together and held back his scream of rage. Kitty called out to him again, a shivering question in her voice. His head hastily jerked his head back to her and saw her stick her bluish hand through to this realm. And then he saw something more traumatic than anything he had ever witnessed before; her hand was sliced clean off, evaporating in the air of this world in a thin blue smoke, as the panels came clean through to meet each other, locking. A cocktail of rage, misery, and anguish pierced him deep in his phantom bowels. He jogged and began pounding the door in, beating it with his fists and feeling nothing but the numb leadenness of his limbs. He fell to the floor, scraping down the hulk of metal that separated him from his kitten, defeated and downtrodden. What had he done. What had he _done_? The mantra repeated itself over and over in his mind. He wanted to scream out her name, as if that could summon her back to him, but knew it would be of no use. He wanted to scream at Shadow, blame him, but that was wrong. It was all Johnny's fault.

_All my fault, all my fault._ He repeated, echoing through the lost catacombs of his psyche.

Distantly, he heard the Halfa taunt his Shadow – and that broke the spine of the ghost-camel's back. His nails clawed at the steel of the door and with a dark aura at his back, Johnny stood.

"Shadow – return!" he shouted and with grumbling protests, the shadow complied, shooting through and morphing into the ghost. Jeering, he knew how he had to take care of this pest control. Danny Phantom would ruin things no more once Johnny was through with him.

...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::…

_What a rotten, nasty good for nothin' punk. I outta deck him the next time I see him_. Thirteen thought bitingly as he stared around the dim wastes of the Ghost Zone he had been dumped into. He shivered as he remember being punched then suddenly sucked into some unyielding vortex, only to then be spilled back into this heap of nothing. _Too bad I'm stuck here. _

"…Johnny?"

No. No way. There was abso_lutely_ not way. But as Johnny turned around, there she was. His unbeating heart seemed to rev up like the engine to his bike, it was a phantom feeling, but it was there. He nearly cried at the sight he saw. She stood, arms behind her back, one holding the other by the wrist, hip sticking out with the attitude she always had.

"…Kitty…?" he jerked upright, throwing his arms out to the side and letting go of his anger. It didn't matter now, nothing did. Nothing save for the woman before him. He grinned the biggest and most sincere smile he ever had. "Kitten!"

Pushing off the balls of her feet, she started off running to him, then came the jogging, and finally she sprinted and bounded over, leaping into his arms and crashing into him. The force of her, the momentum at which she had been racing, flung her in his arms, and he spun her around. He stopped and crushed her to him, head burrowed in the nook of her shoulder and neck and inhaling deeply the wafting smells of her. He grabbed her closer and closer until she squeaked.

"J-Johnny, I can't breathe!" he released her and she breathed in deeply. Pushing back, she paced herself arms length away and just studied him. A frown deepened the curve of her pouted lips. "Johnny, you don't look so good."

She reached a hand out and traced his haggard features with the barest of brushes, caressing his cheeks from the line of the bones to his jaw. She thumbed his goatee and fingered his lips delicately. When she replaced her hands lightly against his cheeks, he touched his hand atop hers and smiled, leaning into the appendage.

"Yeah, I don't feel so good," he looked intently into her eyes for his next words. "But I'm startin' to."

She tossed her arms around his neck and attacked him with a mighty kiss. He smiled beneath the kiss, hugging her around her midback and pressing each line of hers against him, molding the two into one. He leaned back from her, staring at her hand.

"Kitty, ya arm!" he gazed at the limb in incredulous shock, turning it over in his hand.

She gave him a smart look. "Johnny baby, we're ghosts – regeneration, we can do that."

He smiled, lifting her up once again, and hugging her to him. Until _she_ reared back, hopeful questioning in her eye.

"Oh! Where's Shadow?" she smiled at him even as his face flinched. That was odd coming from her; she didn't even like Shadow much.

With sad eyes, Johnny lifted the palm of his hand. Circling like an ouroboros, a tiny image of what once was the mighty Shadow swirled in the center of his hand. It cried out creakily, breathe ragged and torn. Kitty's face fell, holding a shaking hand to her opened lips.

"He'll be alright," Johnny hacked into his hand, his smile wavering as he turned back to her. "We both will."

She hugged him closely, petting the minute figure of Shadow. It purred and growled against her touch, curling loosely around the pad of her finger and choking the pulse from it. She drew her finger up and the creature slipped down into a shimmering puddle.

"Come on, kitten," he grabbed her hand in his and trudged off, boots stomping into the ground made of plasma, so different from the concrete and cement from before of a world far beyond their reach. He cast the thought aside and settled for happier ones. "Let's go celebrate."

Johnny wrapped his arm around her, slithering around her slender waist and resting on her rump, and trotted the two over to his bike. She hopped on like before and away they both zoomed, down the highway of their hell.

She snuggled into the dip his shoulder blades provided, her cheek against the stark blackness of his back. She didn't even mind the dirtiness of it; just the familiarity was enough for her.

"You know," he bent his head backwards to give her his profile, a sign of acknowledgement. Her voice was soft with a sort of sentimentality. "I don't even care we're still stuck in this dump. I'm just…I'm really glad you're with me, Johnny."

He opened his mouth to reciprocate, but alas a wail called out to him. His face dropped. "Ah crud – sirens!" he pulled his machine into a stop, twisting his bike around and waiting for the cops.

He drummed his fingers over the handlebars as his kitten needled her fingers into his sides, nervously tapping away. Shadow bristled inside Johnny's coat and the man let out a sound of incomprehension. Rolling to a stop, gravel crunching beneath the tracked tires, a phantom all in white stepped out, a hulking and intimidating mass. Kitty gasped and Johnny just stared evenly at the ghost, he had seen the copper around, heard the rumors; but Johnny wasn't a ghost to let some ol' creep knock his cred down, not by a longshot. So he gave the authority figure blank eyes as the man ambled over.

"Do you happen to know how fast you two were going?" the rumbling voice asked of the grungy ghost who stared sardonically back at him. The man smirked, a grimace upon his features that scared Kitty and made her clutch her man tighter.

Johnny's lower lip stuck out, eyes lidded indifferently. "Uh, no. Can't say that I do, officer." He answered in a passive drawl. His kitten clung to him with shuddering hands and he muttered under his breath for her to keep her cool.

The man laughed through his nose, a sound low in his throat, and grinned fatally. "Well it was past the speed limit, I can tell you that. _Much_ past," he retrieved a folded notepad from the depths of his long, pristine trench coat, tapping on it with a ballpoint pen. He glanced up at the two ghostly youths and smiled, scribbling something down on the pad. "Afraid I'm going to have to take you both in."

"In?" Kitty intoned, placing a finger to her full lips. "In where?"

"Into a jail cell, of course, in the Correctional Facility for Gallivanting Ghost's. It's my new jailhouse for ghosts like you." The warden nodded his head, and out from behind his vehicle, two ghost-guards popped up with plasmic prods and flew their way over.

What was with all these goons? First the kid, now this cop? What gives? Was Johnny really the bad guy people made him out to be? Sure, his Shadow caused bad luck at every turn, but was he bad? No. He wasn't. That kid chased him all around Amity Park when all he had wanted to do, was find a place – a little nook or alcove – where he could settle down peacefully with Kitty. He wouldn't deny the possibility of a little mischief, hell – he'd have to let Shadow loose sometime, but otherwise the two would just live out their everyday lives in peace. But no, that couldn't happen. That punk had to beat him down and send him back to this godforsaken place. And now this copper was huntin' on his territory – ya gotta be kiddin'. Thirteen definitely didn't like taking this one laying low.

Johnny growled an, "I don't think so." And gunned his motorcycle, leaving Walker and his men in the dust. Kitty screamed and demanded he turn back. He gave her a look that made her feel stupid in return. "Not a chance, kitten. It'll be hard enough to get us outta this, I ain't got the skill to bust the both of us outta jail, sweetcakes. Shadow!" he distractedly called on his protector. "Shadow – defe—" Johnny gaped and opened the fold of his jacket, seeing the shrunken form of his shaded spector. "…nd." He finished.

Shadow poked his head up, and with a cracking screech, shot off out of Johnny's duster and towards the fastly incoming foes. Johnny cringed, turning his head away from the sight of his weakened power source charging into a battle he wasn't prepared yet for.

"I'm sorry, Shadow. I wouldn't make you do this if I had a choice." He whispered under a breath.

_It's alright, friend. We will meet again._ He heard the scratchy voice echo in his mind.

Powering up his bike with twin thrusts of his hand, he flew off the beaten path and crashed into one of the thousands of floating doors, eyes narrowing past the sting of wind and never-falling tears. Kitty dug her nails into him, pressed tightly to his back, and it gave him small comfort – as minute as the traces left of his Shadow. He looked back at her as they soared in a great arc through the air, shock absorbers throttling and jolting as the tires met sturdy ground, and he knew it was worth it. All of it. Everything. It didn't matter that he had been kicked around and knocked down, that he faced jailtime and worse; it didn't matter that his relationship was patchy at best. It was his. And love on the tracks of hell, was better than no love at all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2.0 (yes, a Technus reference, a very vague one): **

**Note 1: Yay, Walker! Or, boo Walker. I really have no opinion of him. I felt like at some point, Johnny HAD to be stopped by the guy in the Ghost Zone. So I added that tid bit in.**

**Note 2: You may have noticed I started this off by saying her name was "Kat" – I just recently started rewatching DP, and in the middle of writing this, I got to the episode that said her name was actually, "Kitty" I groaned but shoved it off and thought I could easily pull off the name Kat. I mean…it's not that far of a stretch. Her name could TOTALLY be Kat. But anyway, you may have noticed I switched to Kitty later on in the story. I usually just opted for Kitten, though.**

**Note 3: Johnny can call me Kitten any time he wants 3**

**Note4: I really hated Danny in this episode – among a lot of others. He has his moments, but he can also be a real grade-A jerk. I understand, Johnny was trying to use his older sister as a host for his girlfriend and that's bad. But this originally was a love story. Johnny and Kitty were in love with each other and just wanted a way out of the ghost zone, go out for an adventure – live their non-lifelike lives! He truly loved her, and then the whole fiasco happened, yada yada, episode filler. And stuff. Haha, I've been writing this for the past two days – straight. I haven't slept in a while so I don't even understand myself at the moment. I lost my train of thought…**

**Note5: I'm rambling.**

**Note 6: I think there's more, but I can't remember a thing right now. Well, I hope you enjoyed this. Review please! I appreciate favorites, but it's really your input that I care most about.**

**Note 7: this was a pain to write because I was listening to "Fright before Christmas" and I then proceeded to write in rhyme. It was not fun going back and changing it all. But it helped me start a new fanfic for this pairing. I'll give you a teaser!**

"The Ghost Writer tires of writing of fright, he takes up his time to write late that night, about a story of love and one catches his eye; two ghosts in the ghost zone, that float ever so high."

And then I thought (again, brainwashed and emulating the Ghost Writer): "I can't stop this rhyming, it feels all so queer, I wonder how I'll do, this time next year." And also, "I can't wait to write, this will be so easy – I sincerely hope, it won't be just be sleazy."

Haha, yup. I'm crazy~

Oh! Note 8, and my most important note! It's been awhile since I've talked to this person, but – even though I don't know how you feel about this pairing or just Johnny or Kitty themselves – I dedicate this to an old Fanfiction friend, ImmortalPhantom22. The two of us used to talk tirelessly, nearly everyday over fanfiction. She was, like, my best friend on the sight. I remember, we would talk about Full Metal Panic, and then some Danny Phantom. I doubt she remembers me, I don't even remember the penname I went under in those days, but this ones for you, ImmortalPhantom22, I'll never forget you. …damn you Ghost Writer! I'm still emulating you! But how can I resist, I love him too much 3 and with that, I bid you adieu!


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